Various techniques are known for providing coated substrates such as cutting elements, semiconductors, connectors and optical devices, but also decorative surfaces. Known methods include cathodic arc evaporation, electron beam and thermal evaporation, pulsed laser deposition and sputter deposition.
WO2013045454A2 discloses a process and device for providing a substrate with a Ti1-xAlxN coating, wherein a pair of sputtering targets are used and provided with electrical power having different peak current densities. The sputtering targets are activated at the same time, thus providing a co-deposition, i.e. a mixture of the two materials.
Materials having particular atomic arrangements, frequently referred to as “compositional modulations”, are of particular interest, as they may potentially provide enhanced properties in terms of mechanical, optical, electrical, electronic and/or magnetic properties, which may be useful in e.g. the applications mentioned above.
US20020189938A1 discloses a method for performing sputter deposition with multiple targets.
US2006/026442A1 discloses a method for providing a nanostructure, comprising nanodots in a matrix, for a material system wherein the Gibbs free energy of oxidation is greater for the matrix material than for the nanodot material.
In addition to the challenges involved in making these materials as such, there is an additional challenge of providing production methods for such materials that can be used on an industrial scale to provide the materials at reasonable cost, and not only in limited quantities in a research laboratory.